November 2008
by DateMe
Summary: Entries for the fanfiction section of the November contest. Entries listed in order of submission. Challenge: Falling for You, Pairing: ShikaHina.
1. This Fall by Bullwinkle's Lady

**Title: **This Fall**  
Author:** Bullwinkle's Lady**  
Rating:** PG ( K+ )**  
Challenge:** Falling for You**  
Pairing: **ShikaHina

We ask that you PLEASE refrain from reviewing this story here. If you would like to do so, the original is posted right here on ff. net in Bullwinkle's Lady's (aka, Amused-Death on DA) personal profile.

— — —

They lay on the yellowing grass a few feet from each other. It was a cool day, chill, not harshly, but comfortably so. The air was fresh, and Shikamaru sighed, folding his arms behind his head.

The two were showered in gray petals of the dying cherry blossoms above them. The corner of his mouth twitched as he watched one drop to Hinata's lips. The heiress smiled slightly then blew it away.

"This is troublesome," he mentioned, and stared up at the sky. He found himself slightly peeved his sight of the clouds was obstructed by branches.

"Let's make it simple," Hinata murmured. Her face was pale, but cheeks slightly flushed. "I'm not cold," she mentioned, before he could ask.

"I didn't ask," the Nara drawled, turning away from her. He closed his eyes and wondered how she could embarrass him so easily.

"What kind of flowers?" Hinata inquired, turning back to the subject at hand, which consequently caused his stomach to clench. "Lilies or roses?"

"Does it matter?" he groused. "Roses."

"Blue roses..." the Hyuuga said thoughtfully.

Shikamaru felt compelled to throw her an odd look, but opted not to. "Do those exist?"

He knew she was blushing. He didn't know why, but knew. "It doesn't matter," she mentioned shyly. "We're keeping this simple."

"Doesn't that bother you?"

"Who will attend?" Hinata again ignored his remark.

Shikamaru turned onto his back again. He ended up closer to Hinata, and didn't know why. "Immediate relatives," he mentioned softly. "Closest friends."

There was a pause, in which the Nara clenched his jaw, more in apprehension than frustration.

"Good."

He blinked, slightly surprised she had agreed. "What?"

"I like that idea."

Shikamaru silently thanks the gods Hyuuga Hinata wasn't Yamanaka Ino.

"Spring or summer?" she murmured, turning to her side to face him. Shikamaru felt her watching him, but didn't look back. He imagined he felt the warmth of her breath pressing his neck.

It was a calm, collected, conversation. Too calm, actually.

Collected, but it made his head pound, vision blur, chest ache, and throat weak. It made him take deeper breaths than he would if he was alone, lazily cloud-gazing.

He closed his eyes, amending all appearances of anxiety. "Fall." He peeked at her through narrowed eyes.

The heiress blinked. "Next fall?" she said, deflating slightly.

"This fall."

Another pause, in which the kunoichi abruptly sat up, throwing leaves off and around her. "Wh-what?"

Alas, that cute little stammer. "This fall," the Nara repeated.

Her eyes were wide, her face pink. It made his heart hammer against his chest.

"Sure," she mentioned, breathless, her voice like a wispy breeze.

"Alright," Shikamaru muttered, if only to trigger a second affirmation.

"But that doesn't leave us much time," mentioned Hinata, nipping her lip and smiling slightly.

"No stress," Shikamaru's left arm returned to the back of his head. "You promi-mm..."

He'd let his fiancé bother him, just that once, as he pulled his free hand through her hair and kissed her back, in that pile of petals.


	2. Myriad of Autumn by aFlawedDesign

**Title:** Myriad of Autumn**  
Author:** aFlawedDesign**  
Rating: **PG ( K+ )**  
Challenge: **Falling for You**  
Pairing:** ShikaHina

We ask that you PLEASE refrain from reviewing this story here. If you would like to do so, please visit our homepage on DeviantArt for directions to the original post.

— — —

Stifling a yawn, the young shinobi blinked away the lure of sleep that seemed to always accompany him. It wasn't like Shikamaru minded all that much, though. Being half-asleep was countless times better than being wide awake and on edge. The constant rush of adrenaline and the erratic thumping in his chest on missions were less than the ideal circumstance he would conjure for himself. Thus, lying under the serene, blue sky was a nice reminder of how nice life could be sometimes.

The wispy clouds of mid-day floated by sluggishly, barely moving fast enough for anyone to realize that they were moving at all. Such nice weather was rare this late in fall. Usually the skies greyed alongside the reddening and yellowing of leaves. He would treasure it as long as it lasted.

The shadow nin relaxed back against the soft prickle of green grass beneath him. He let his lids droop down as he caved to the captivating call of slumber. But he groaned when there was a ruffle of the blades of grass and footsteps. "What is it now, Chouji?" he grumbled, not even bothering to open his eyes.

"Not Chouji" was the curt reply Shikamaru received before he cracked his eyes opened. Dark eyes peered upward to see Hinata crouch down beside him. "Will you train with me?" she asked.

"Where's your team?"

"Kiba's helping his mom with something and Shino is doing something for Hokage-sama."

Hearing her explanation and the lack of a stutter, he sat upright and gave a vague nod. Before he knew it, Hinata had grabbed his hands and pulled him halfway up. There was a little whine on his part as he commanded his legs to stand him up.

"This is troublesome…"

"You a-always say that." Her lavender eyes narrowed slightly while her lips formed a grudging pout. Every time he implied that time with her was troublesome was like a direct blow to her self-esteem, which, as far as she was concerned, was fragile enough as is. "I c-can find someone else," she offered meekly and took a step back. Inwardly, she hoped he'd reconsider.

"Sorry," he muttered, "let's train."

"Okay," she complied with a content smile, "Taijutsu?"

Shikamaru nodded, a half-smile etched across his features. Then, with half-lidded eyes, he got into his battle stance. Hinata mirrored his own movements, but with the grace and finesse of a Hyuuga heiress. Her bloodline was activated a mere second later as the crunch of dried leaves could be heard from under her feet.

The indigo-haired girl bit down on her bottom lip anxiously for a brief moment before she dashed forward. The long strands of her hair whipped in the cool breeze. When she was as little as a step away from him, her palm shot out with unexpected ferocity. Shikamaru sidestepped to his right and dodged the strike aimed for his middle. In return, he kicked his leg out.

The kunoichi squeaked as she pushed off the ground and leapt back, avoiding his kick by a hair's width. Unfortunately for her, she landed awkwardly and stumbled back a few feet. Her opponent took the advantage and propelled himself forward, throwing jabs and strikes relentlessly. Shikamaru knew from all his times training with her that she would not appreciate it if he went easy on her. So, he let loose an onslaught of attacks as she tilted her torso, sidestepped, and did whatever she could to avoid being hit.

With every evasion, her hair danced in the air. It distracted him momentarily. Shikamaru rather liked how the sheen strands rippled. Still, he was aware enough to gasp and lean to avoid the fist that barely missed his head.

"My head?" he cried incredulously, looking wide-eyed at her.

"You w-weren't paying attention," she countered. Her expression was one of a deep resolve. It was something people rarely expected of the sweet, quiet Hinata. "Don't go easy on me."

"Fine, fine," he sighed and reclaimed his stance.

Anyone watching the small clearing could see the brilliant display of talent and skill. Each ninja fought and danced together in the intricate and fluid steps. They would attack and dodge, and attack and dodge… Breaths were coming in short, tired gasps for both. Occasionally, one or the other would land a hit. It was then followed by ragged but appreciative smiles.

A good chunk of time had passed. The sun was setting, blanketing the horizon in an orange glow. Hinata could feel her knees growing weak. Shikamaru threw his left hand out, catching her shoulder and sending her stumbling until her back hit the rough bark of a tree. She hissed and grabbed the throbbing patch of skin. Out of the corners of her eyes, she could see him coming in, poised to deliver the finishing blow. Her eyes winced as her body braced for the impending pain.

There was a thunderous crash and she cracked her eyes open in amazement to see his fist beside her head, on the tree. Lilac eyes widened at the beauty beheld to them. Amidst the setting sun, vibrantly coloured red, orange, and yellow leaves meandered down. They swayed every which way as the two ninja stood in the rain of colours.

Hinata had never seen so many leaves fall at once and with a charm that only autumn brought. Her cheeks tinted a soft pink as she looked away from the falling leaves and up to his face. "Does your hand hurt?"

Shikamaru gave her a slow nod. "Boy does it ever," he hissed. He pulled it off the bark, surveying the minor scratches, and then he decided it was worth it to see her reaction to the leaves falling and her blush. "Why do you keep insisting we train like this?"

Shyly, Hinata looked back to the falling foliage while her fingers found each other. "You kn-know."

He quirked a brow and leaned forward, face an inch from hers. It caused her cheeks to flare. "Troublesome…"

"It's not tr-troublesome!" She already could feel her eyes grow wet and she averted her gaze to the brightly covered ground. Her voice came quietly as she asked him the same question she had asked so many times. "Do you really think we'll be good godparents...? I m-mean, their child won't have a f-father. Without Asuma-sensei, Kurenai might ask for our help and I d-don't want to screw up their son."

He listened patiently as she continued. "Wh-what if I can't protect him?" she asked, looking up as tears started paths down her hot cheeks.

The lazy ninja sighed again and resisted the urge to express how troublesome she was being. "It's because you force me to train every other day that I know taijutsu." He eased down slightly to match her height and level of sight. "Don't forget, the kid has Kurenai to protect him. Then there's me."

Hinata pouted and turned her face to look away from his. "You're going to turn him into a lazy ninja."

When she clarified her source of anxiety, Shikamaru shrugged. "You're probably right," he answered with a yawn. But before she could further press on the topic, he snaked his arms around her slim waist as she yelped. "I'll teach him shouji and you can teach him Taijutsu," he stated with a subtle upturn of his lips, "we'll protect him together. Fine with you?"

The girl couldn't resist the flame of her face as she allowed him to pull her closer. Hinata relented and wrapped her arms around him, melting into his embrace. "Thank you, Shika-kun," she whispered against the skin of his neck before pulling back to plant a gentle kiss upon his cheek.

He grinned, but she couldn't see. "Besides, from what I've gathered, you like lazy ninja."


	3. Reindeer by Hinata Lovers

**Title: **Reindeer**  
Author:** Hinata Lovers**  
Rating:** PG ( K+ )**  
Challenge:** Falling for You**  
Pairing:** ShikaHina

We ask that you PLEASE refrain from reviewing this story here. If you would like to do so, the original is posted right here on ff. net in Hinata Lover's (aka, hinatalovers) on DA) personal profile.

— — —

Light foot steps could be heard on the empty hallways of the high school building. Most of the students had already gone home and the few ones that didn't were gathered in the school's theater to rehearse the Christmas play. For some reason ever since elementary school her class was always the most enthusiastic about the Christmas play.

She passed an open window and shivered. Someone must have forgotten to close it she thought idly while putting the box she was holding carefully onto the floor and walking towards the window. She touched the glass and shivered once more while closing the window. She stopped and looked outside. All the leaves of the trees had already fallen. Halloween had already passed and December was approaching and with it Christmas and her birthday. She sighed while walking back to the abandoned box on the floor; the year was passing way to fast for her.

She kneed on the floor and picked up the box that she had left there. It was full of Christmas decorations. Tsunade had asked her if it would be too much trouble for her to get the box and bring it to the teachers' lounge. She more than happily complied since it gave her a reason not to be rehearsing with the others.

Hinata had learned how to sew in a very early age and she was always very shy so in junior high she stopped taking any roles in her class' plays and started making the costumes for the people who would actually act in them. It made her happy and her friends would always compliment the outfits she made.

This year however Ino and Sakura decided they would do a musical. Hinata almost cringed when they said that, mainly because they said that looking at her with a mischievous look on their faces. If she was the type to curse she would have. She had the habit of singing when she was alone; at least when she thought she was alone. One day Ino and Sakura overheard her singing in her room when they were visiting her. Right after that they decided that the play would be a musical and that Hinata had to have an important role in it; and that was the reason that she was more than happy to have an excuse not to be rehearsing with the others.

She finally reached her destination and opened the door without even bothering to knock. Her hands where occupied and there shouldn't be anyone inside anyway; the only teachers in the school at this hour where in the theater helping with the play. So she simply let herself in and put the box on top of a nearby table and was about to leave when she noticed that there was someone sitting on the couch in front of her.

She recognized him immediately. His hair was kind of unique in its own way; Ino often said he looked like a pineapple. Hinata didn't mind it; she rather liked it actually. She blushed a deep red after thinking that; Shikamaru was just her friend and she should stop thinking about him in any other way.

Shikamaru and Hinata were never really that close despite being in the same group of friends. That changed when their mentors, Asuma and Kurenai, got married in the beginning of their first high school year and they had to be their best man and maid of honor. It was awkward at first but they warmed up to each other, especially now that they had to often baby-sit Asuma and Kurenai's baby.

Hinata approached the couch slowly; there was a 99 per cent chance that Shikamaru was asleep she thought smiling. When she was right behind the couch she laid her arms on top of it and rested her head on them so she could look at Shikamaru better. He was asleep just like she thought.

"Shikamaru-kun" She said softly but only that was enough to wake him up. He turned to where her voice was coming and looked at her with half lidded eyes. Hinata blushed at the close proximity of their faces; his nose was almost touching hers. Before she could do anything Shikamaru inched away and yawned. Hinata thought it was incredibly cute and smiled at him.

"Hey Hinata. What time is it?" He said with his voice heavy from sleep.

"It-it's five thirty" She answered looking down to her wrist watch

"Is the rehearsal over yet?" He said peering over at her again and making his face uncomfortably close once more. Hinata blushed and made her way to sit on the couch so she wouldn't faint soon.

"I-I wouldn't rea-really kno-know" She said sitting down and starting to poke her fingers together. Shikamaru immediately took her hands in one of his and raised a brow at her; he was determined in making her stop that old habit of hers but the fact that he had her hands in his made her fidget even more.

"So you ditched rehearsal?" He said obviously amused by the thought of her ditching anything. He realized he was holding her hands for way more time than necessary and let them go while thanking that he didn't blush as easily as she did.

"No. Tsunade-sama ask-asked me to brin-bring the Chirs-Christmas decorations over here." She said trying very hard not to poke her fingers again.

"And you happily complied since it would give you a perfectly plausible excuse not to be at the rehearsal." He said smirking at her and enjoying way more than he should the blush that dusted her cheeks.

"Well… ki-kind of…" She said while nervously chewing on her lower lips; habit that she recently gained since she was trying to stop poking her fingers. Shikamaru didn't bother trying to make her stop doing that; especially since it made her lips look deliciously red. It took him a few second to realize said lips where moving and talking to him.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" He said scratching the back of his neck and feeling his face heat up; he hoped it wasn't noticeable.

"I-I asked why aren't yo-you at rehearsal either." She repeated seemingly oblivious to the faint blush on his cheeks.

"I haven't gone to a rehearsal ever since junior high when my mother forced me to join the school's play."

"Bu-but you a-are always in the play" Hinata said tilting her head in confusion.

"Yes, and I'm always the reindeer. We're doing a stupid musical, why is there a reindeer in it? I swear Ino must have some hidden pleasure in making me be a stupid deer every year." He said pulling at his pony tail; something Hinata came to notice he did when he was frustrated. She smiled though; he really seemed to hate being the reindeer but she always thought it was very cute, especially because of his name.

"And I don't even bother discussing it with Tsunade anymore. The first time I did it she just smirked at me and said the role fitted me. Come on! This pun with my name was funny when we were kids but now it's just…" He stopped talking when he felt something warm and lightly wet peck him quickly on his cheek. He turned around to see Hinata redder than he ever seen her and fidgeting nervously with her fingers again. He didn't bother to stop her though; he was too stunned and was pretty sure his blush was very noticeable now.

"I-I re-rather li-like you as the rei-reindeer; I-I fin-find it ve-very cu-cute" She said peering up at him and immediately bolting out the door after she was done speaking.

Shikamaru was left speechless and blinking at the spot Hinata was sitting moments before. After he regained some of his senses he put his hand on the cheek Hinata kissed. Just thinking about it made his face heat up again.

He sighed and stood up and headed to the door. Before he left he noticed something inside the box Hinata brought to the room and sighed again.

"It can't be helped apparently" He said picking up the fake deer antlers from the box and eyeing them in distaste.

He left the room still holding the fake deer antlers and headed for the theater while muttering about bothersome blond girls and an endearing Hyuuga heiress.


	4. Me, Myself, and You by BlueQuartzFoxy

**Title:** Me, Myself, and You**  
Author:** BlueQuartzFoxy**  
Rating:** PG-13 ( T )**  
Challenge:** Falling for You**  
Pairing:** ShikaHina

We ask that you PLEASE refrain from reviewing this story here. If you would like to do so, the original is posted right here on on ff. net in BlueQuartzFoxy's (known by the same name on DA) personal profile.

— — —

A smoky exhale was soon followed by a sigh. Retreating to the rooftop was far from visiting Kurenai-san, like he had originally intended to do. But, awkward second guesses and guilt forced him to climb the firescape up to the roof. The ciggerate between his fingertips was slowly burning out. He'd have to come up with a better excuse before then.

'I don't want to smoke around Kurenai-san...that sounded so stupid.' Shikamaru thought on his excuse.

Asuma-sensei had smoked around her and his impressionable Genin- now Chunnin- students, without a care.

'But I'm not Asuma-sensei.' Shikamaru reminded himself while taking another drag from the cig.

The bad habit was quickly becoming a crutch. Just like his cowardly nature.

Crushing the brunt-out ciggerate between his fingers; Shikamaru tried to distract himself from taking another out and lighting up. Brown eyes looked out first at gold, red, and brown covered tree tops, then at fluffy white clouds as they lazily crawled across a blue sky.

As a kid he would have laid on his back and watch the sky for hours. Life had no meaning, no greater purpose back then.

Now he seemed to be stuck in adult world with a kid-sized understanding. His own father laughed at Shikamaru's promise to protect Kurenai-sensei and her unborn child.

"You don't get it do you?" Shikaku had said.

Shikamaru remembered looking up from the shoji board and answering.

"Get what?"

Shikaku shook his head, clicking the winning piece in place.

"You're far from being an adult. You don't even know who or what you are. So, don't go making promises you can't keep, son."

What adulthood and broken promises had to do with anything, Shikamaru wasn't sure.

--

Hinata unconsciously bit her bottom lip, her fingers gripping the doorknob; but she lingered in the hallway. For a moment, she just watched Shikamaru as he finished one ciggerate, crushed it, then pulled out another. He waited awhile before lighting the second one, then he didn't smoke until it burned down halfway.

Mustering up as much courage as she could, Hinata opened the door wider, sliding out. The sound of the door closing caused both teens to flinch, both guilty of being caught in two different acts.

The ciggerate was quickly flicked aside and crumbled under foot, but it was too late. Hinata had already seen him with it.

And Hinata inched towards the door, but he had already spotted her.

Awkward silence settled in, brown and pale eyes avoiding each other.

"I...I thought you had quit."

"And I thought you only stalked Naruto."

Those words cut her to the quick, causing Hinata to squirm uncomfortably.

"I'm not here to talk about N-Naruto-kun," Hinata said, slowly lifting her gaze up from the rooftop beneath their feet.

"What then?" Shikamaru groused, obviously not in the mood to talk. Or maybe he was just tired.

Hinata found it hard to tell when Shikamaru was grumpy or bored, so she treaded lightly all the same.

"Um..K-Kurenai-sensei saw you climbing the fire escape. She wanted to check up on you. But, I said I'd go, since it's getting difficult for her to climb up stairs nowadays."

--

'Stupid.' Shikamaru scolded himself. He knew it was a bad idea to come here.

Outwardly, he shrugged as if to casually dismiss Hinata and her concerns, or rather Kurenai's concerns.

"I wanted to have a smoke before I visited her. Smoke is bad for pregnant women," he spouted off.

It was logical, even considerate. Yet, Hinata wasn't moved. She stood rooted, blocking his only exit- the door.

"Well..." she poked her fingers, "since you've already smoked one ciggerate, you should be okay to visit Kurenai-san."

'She saw that too?' Shikamaru wondered. Either he sucked at being aware of his surroundings, or Hinata was a better shinobi than most gave her credit for.

Still, Shikamaru shook his head, "No. I've got to uh...let the smoke air out of my clothes."

The Hyuuga girl frowned, her gaze narrowing at him.

"Please stop with the excuses Shikamaru-kun," Hinata said, "Kurenai-sensei would like to see you..."

"Why?" Shikamaru returned.

Flustered by his curt response, Hinata floundered for a reason, only to come up with nothing.

"I thought so." Shikamaru said with a snort.

He turned away from her,"Look, why don't you mind your own business and leave me alone. If I want to visit Kurenai-san, I'll do it in my own time."

--

Shikamaru thought the silence meant he had won. He felt guilty for being so harsh towards Hinata; but he didn't want her to know why he couldn't see Kurenai-sensei.

The last time he saw her, was when he told her Asuma was dead. Even now Shikamaru could clearly recall the look on her face fade from surprised, to disbelief, then tangible anguish. He had watched Kurenai-san, a strong woman and kunoichi, inwardly collapse, falling to the floor on her knees. Shikamaru could still recall the taste of salty tears as she cried, cheek pressed against his.

Every time Shikamaru thought of Kurenai, he thought back to Asuma.

'It was my fault. I wasn't quick enough, strong enough. If I had only figured out Hidan's jutsu before...'

Shikamaru was shocked out of his doubtful thoughts, when two arms gently wound around his middle.

"What..." he asked, feeling Hinata resting her head against his back.

"What are you doing?"

--

Hinata wasn't quite sure how to answer him. She had thought about leaving when Shikamaru had snapped at her. But, she waited instead.

Shikamaru had turned away from her, assuming she was going to walk away.

She saw the slightest tremor of the boy's shoulders. On a hunch, Hinata slowly walked forward and hugged Shikamaru.

Alarm bells went off inside Hinata's head. She could feel Shikamaru tense up at her touch, so obviously a hug wasn't the answer. Yet, Hinata was determined not to be moved, even if this was turning out to be very awkward.

"I...just thought you needed this," Hinata tried to explain, the words falling flat on her tongue.

--

Shikamaru knew he could pull away. He wasn't a very strong, but he would have an advantage over Hinata.

He stayed though, why was a mystery even to him.

"Why are you bothering me anyway? Is Naruto out on another mission or something?"

The girl shook her head, but Shikamaru could guess Hinata was most likely blushing.

He sighed, loud enough so Hinata could both hear and feel it.

"Why then? And don't say it's because Kurenai-san asked you to check up on me."

Hinata didn't respond, she just held him tighter.

Against his will, Shikamaru found himself relaxing in her arms. Holding his shoulders up and back straight was just too exhausting, he excused.

--

Hinata noticed when Shikamaru stopped fighting her.

'You can let him go now,' reason dictated.

Hinata kept her arms in place. Circumstances aside, holding someone this close felt...nice.

Hinata felt her cheeks blush, shaking her head, 'This is Shikamaru-kun though. I don't feel anything for him. I love Naruto-kun.'

Her argument grew weaker though the longer they stood there together.

--

Finally, Shikamaru wiggled out of Hinata's reach. He wanted some personal space back, plus another nicotine craving had kicked in.

As he reached for the pack in his jacket pocket, Shikamaru looked up at Hinata.

Her face was flushed for some reason, she still manged to give him a disapproving look.

'Who does she think she is? My mother?' Shikamaru thought to himself.

Sour feelings aside, Shikamaru looked at the ciggerate in his hand, looked back at the girl.

Although Hinata had surprised, annoyed, and confused him that day; Shikamaru knew he'd feel horrible if he disappointed her.

"Troublesome," he groused. While he complained, Shikamaru put the ciggerate down, then fished out the entire pack to leave behind.

Hand stuffed inside his pockets, Shikamaru arched a dark eyebrow in Hinata's direction.

"Happy now?"

He hadn't expected her to smile back at him. So when the Hyuuga heiress nodded, her lips curved pleasantly, warmly in his favor, Shikamaru was momentarily taken aback.

--

"Yes," Hinata said, walking slightly ahead of Shikamaru to open the door leading down to the indoor staircase.

"Would you...like to come with me? To visit Kurenai-sensei?" she asked gingerly.

'He's going to say no.' Hinata thought, preparing herself for rejection.

Shikamaru paused, as if thinking over the offer. Then shrugged.

"Why not? I've run out of excuses, thanks to you."

Hinata smiled again, honestly pleased with herself.

"Glad I could help."

--

Notes: Not 'quite' romantic or friendship, but I guess a sort of in between/limbo relationship...thing? ...I don't know! Quit asking me questions!


	5. Fallen on You by Ms Videl Son

**Title:** Fallen on You  
**Author: **Ms. Videl Son**  
Rating:** PG ( K+ )**  
Challenge: **Falling for You  
**Pairing: **ShikaHina

We ask that you PLEASE refrain from reviewing this story here. If you would like to do so, the original is posted right here on ff. net in Ms. Videl Son's (aka, megaminoeien on DA) personal profile.

— — —

"How troublesome," Shikamaru said to himself as he clung to his tree branch and watched his classmates scurry about beneath him. Concealed as he was by the dying leaves, he could watch the school wide student cleanup without being bothered by any goody two-shoes that bent on making him participate.

The shadow bender honestly didn't understand the purpose of this entire exercise in the first place. If the school was so dirty, why didn't the staff clean it? Why use forced child labor just to make the cafeteria a little more hygienic and the boy's locker room slightly less moldy? That seemed illegal somehow.

Oh, whatever. He'd already ditched his rake somewhere amongst the sloppily gathered leaves and escaped, so what did it matter? He could just stay up in his tree all day and stare at the –

"Shikamaru-kun? Wh-what are you doing up there?"

Jumping up into a sitting position upon his branch, Shikamaru struggled to maintain his precarious balance as he lowered his eyes to the base of the trembling oak. Had he been discovered by that blonde witch?

...Nope, just Hinata.

"Nothing," Shikamaru replied after huffing a quick sigh of relief. "I finished raking the leaves and decided to take a break."

Hinata swivelled her head around as she checked his work before she looked back up at him and said, "O-oh...I see. C-Could you come back down, now, p-please?"

Shikamaru remained silent for a few moments, vainly hoping that she'd just forget about him and go away.

No such luck.

"Sh-Shikamaru-kun?"

"I..."

Before he could even begin to utter another pathetic (and completely untrue) excuse, a new voice shouted from across the front lawn, "OI! Shikamaru, get your ass down here and do some work!"

When his body jerked in surprise this time, Shikamaru overbalanced completely and lost his grip. His fingertips scraped against the rough bark just before slipping entirely away from his perch, sending him plummeting to the poorly constructed pile of multi-colored leaves beneath him (oh, the irony!).

"OOMPH!"

"UMPH!"

His landing was surprisingly soft considering his slack-ass job at raking leaves. Well, that just proved how unnecessary –

"Sh-Shikamaru...kun...?"

The shadow bender opened his eyes as the soft, stuttering voice beckoned him. There wasn't really anything to see upon doing so, however; nothing but soft white fluff and a sloping hill of beige.

Wait...wasn't Hinata wearing a jacket that looked like – ?

"HEY!"

As he raised his head away from the flushed Hinata's maidenly chest, Shikamaru was given the pleasure of watching three of his very angry-looking school mates – Neji, Kiba and, oddly enough, Sasuke – stalk toward him with blazing eyes and clenched fists.

"How troublesome...," were his last words.

— — —

**Author's Notes:** Okay, that was half-assed, but I think it turned out cute/funny anyway. Tell me what you think, ShikaHina fans!

Oh, and I know that I referred to Ino as a "blonde witch" earlier, but I'd like to say that I really love her even if I have to pretend she's annoying sometimes. She's super spunky and I like that **n.n**

_**. ( . Ms Videl Son . ) .**_


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